I let that sound sit in the space.
Then I speak.
“Anybody fires in this lane,” I say calmly, “and I lock your crew’s food deliveries for a month.”
One of the dock rats laughs nervously. “Boss, that’s?—”
“Collateral,” I finish, and my voice hardens. “You wanna hurt civilians because you’re mad? I’ll treat you like an enemy. The new rule is simple: if you can’t handle fear without terrorizing locals, you don’t get to carry a weapon in my zones.”
The Sable Knife kid—barely an adult, cheekbones sharp, gun too big for his hands—swallows hard. “We didn’t?—”
“You were about to,” I cut in. “So don’t.”
He glances at his crew, then back at me, measuring whether I’m bluffing. The city is full of bluffers.
I’m not one of them.
I step closer, letting him feel the size difference, letting him smell the faint iron note that never leaves me.
“Ceasefire,” I say. “You walk away from this lane. You want to settle territory disputes, you bring them to my council, or you bring them to the ring where only the idiots get hurt. Not civilians.”
His jaw flexes. “And if we refuse?”
I don’t raise my voice. I don’t need to. “Then you’re not a crew. You’re a target.”
A long beat.
Then he lowers his gun.
“Fine,” he mutters. “Ceasefire.”
The dock rats follow suit, grumbling, backing away like they’re allergic to peace.
I watch them disperse, then turn to the medic station.
“Security rotation?” I ask.
A captain beside me nods. “Two squads on perimeter. One inside. No one enters armed.”
“Good,” I say. “Keep it that way.”
I can feel the city’s eyes on me. Some hopeful, some hateful, most just desperate for the chaos to pick a direction.
I’m giving it one.
Renn’s voice crackles in my ear, tight. “Boss, eastern water processing is stable. Freight hubs are quiet. Armory inventory locks held.”
“Good,” I reply.
“And—” His voice catches slightly, and I don’t like it. “And we got chatter. Off-world.”
My spine tightens.
“What kind of chatter?” I ask, keeping my voice flat.
Renn hesitates like he hates what he’s about to say. “Terranus V.”
The words hit like cold water down my back.
